Maidment Court

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

Safe – this means we looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. They listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. People were supported by a service who continually sought to share learning and improve. Systems were in place to ensure accidents and incidents were reported, investigated and action taken to minimise risks going forward. Staff understood their responsibility to report incidents and concerns. The management team reviewed incidents individually, identifying lessons learned and actions to reduce the risk of recurrence.

The service worked with people and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safe systems of care, in which safety was managed or monitored. They made sure there was continuity of care, including when people moved between different services. People and their relatives told us they felt staff at the service communicated effectively with external professionals, such as the GP. The provider supported people to experience safe transitions between services. When people required treatment outside of their home, such as the hospital, key information was available about the person to share with paramedics or other healthcare professionals. Care plans included details of the external healthcare professionals involved in people’s care, this helped ensure effective communication and continuity of care between services. People and their relatives told us staff communicated well with external professionals, such as GPs, physiotherapists and community nurses. We also received positive feedback from external professionals about the provider’s communication and collaborative working.

The service worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. They concentrated on improving people’s lives while protecting their right to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect. The service shared concerns quickly and appropriately. People told us they felt safe using the service, and relatives shared the same view. Staff knew how to ensure people were protected from harm and abuse. They told us how they would raise concerns both within the service and externally. Staff were confident the management team would follow up any concerns and make the necessary referrals to the local authority as required. Staff had completed safeguarding training, and staff spoken with had a good understanding of what constituted a safeguarding concern and what their responsibilities were.

The service worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. They provided care to meet people’s needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them. People told us staff worked to keep them safe and understood their needs. Relatives agreed they had confidence in the care staff and peace of mind. Staff knew people well and told us they had enough information regarding people’s individual risks. People’s risks were assessed before they started to use the service and updated as needed. Risk assessments were created and maintained; they were accessible to staff. Staff supported people to understand and manage risks in their day-to-day lives. They provided advice and guidance to help people stay safe while maintaining their independence.

The service detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. People were supported to maintain their home environment. Risk assessments were carried out by the management team to ensure people’s properties were safe from hazards. The provider maintained a business continuity plan outlining procedures to follow in the event of emergencies such as an evacuation. Fire risk assessments were in place, and people had individual evacuation plans tailored to their specific needs. Staff had completed training in areas of health and safety and fire training.

The service made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. They worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs. People told us they were happy with the staff who supported them. A person said, “The staff are well trained and very good.” People were supported by staff who had been through a robust recruitment and selection process. The service vision was clear, and the values of staff underpinned the process. Training was in accordance with good practice guidelines for staff who worked with people to meet their care needs. Recruitment processes were established and procedures were in place to ensure the required checks were completed prior to staff commencing their employment. This included enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for adults. DBS checks provide information including details about convictions and cautions held on the police national computer. The information helps employers make safer recruitment decisions. Support was ongoing and there was a schedule of supervisions and spot checks, records showed the conversations were two-way and detailed.

The service assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly. Staff had access to the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) as needed and supplies were plentiful. Policies and procedures regarding preventing the spread of infection and avoidable harm were in place. The provider completed scheduled infection control audits to ensure practices remained effective, any areas for improvement were identified and addressed promptly.

The service made sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. They involved people in planning, including when changes happened. People received their medicines as prescribed. There were safe procedures in place for ordering and administration of medicines. Care plans correctly reflected the level of support a person required with their medicines. Regular audits and checks were undertaken to identify any concerns. Staff received training, with competency checks to ensure they demonstrated safe practices when administering medicines. Communication channels were open with the GP and pharmacy to ensure people had the right medicines at the right time. There was guidance in place to ensure medicines administered as required could be done so in a consistent way.